Feds’ pharma task force says cutting time to get medicines onto public plans should be a priority with a three-month deadline

The federally appointed group’s report released on July 24 says the multi-year process between Health Canada’s approval and drug pricing negotiations is contributing to companies ‘deprioritizing Canada for product launches.’

Health Minister Marjorie Michel’s department recently published a ministerial order allowing it to rely on foreign regulators’ work to help it 'review certain parts of drug submissions' in a bid to speed up the amount of time it takes to approve new medicines.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY TESSIE SANCI

July 24, 2026

Time-consuming drug-pricing negotiations and governments’ focus on the costs of medicines is harming Canada’s potential as an investment destination for pharmaceutical companies, says a

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